Action at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya started in a positive way for Bo Bendsneyder and Niccolo Antonelli. The Red Bull KTM Ajo riders had a demanding first day, in which their first Free Practice session took place on wet asphalt and the second session in dry conditions. In FP2, both were able to adapt to the new design of the last sector, finishing the day in 9th and 11th position, respectively. The conditions early in the morning made learning the new layout difficult, as overnight rainfall forced the Moto3 riders to run wet tyres in FP1. Antonelli and Bendsneyder used the entire session, despite the mixed conditions on the track, and led the timesheets at several moments. In the end, they finished with the seventh –2:07.308– and tenth –2:07.655– best times, respectively. In the afternoon, the Moto3 riders were able to enjoy a dry track for the entire 40 minute practice. Bendsneyder and Antonelli gained confidence with every lap undertaken, and both were up into the Top 10 on their last stint –on new tyres. Finally, the Dutch rider closed the session ninth –1:55.028– and the Italian eleventh –1:55.080–, with both satisfied with their progress and adjustment to the redesigned sector.
64 BO BENDSNEYDER
“In FP2 it was a bit difficult at first, because I didn’t have a good feeling with the front. The team has made some changes to the bike and everything improved a lot. I want to thank the team for their hard work, because thanks to this change we were able to take a step forward. We know that it is on the last sector -the remodeled part of the circuit- that we are losing the most time. I like the new design and the new chicane more than last year, but I still am not very fast there. Let’s look at what Niccolo [Antonelli] is doing differently, check the data and see how we can improve tomorrow.”
results FP2:
| POS | Rider | TEAM | Fastest lap |
| 1 | Aron CANET | Estrella Galicia 0,0 | 1’54.257 |
| 2 | Romano FENATI | Marinelli Rivacold Snipers | 1’54.544 |
| 3 | Joan MIR | Leopard Racing | 1’54.608 |
| 4 | Nicolo BULEGA | SKY Racing Team VR46 | 1’54.684 |
| 5 | Andrea MIGNO | SKY Racing Team VR46 | 1’54.890 |
| 6 | Jorge MARTIN | Del Conca Gresini Moto3 | 1’54.950 |
| 7 | Enea BASTIANINI | Estrella Galicia 0,0 | 1’54.973 |
| 8 | Tatsuki SUZUKI | SIC58 Squadra Corse | 1’54.987 |
| 9 | Bo BENDSNEYDER | Red Bull KTM Ajo | 1’55.028 |
| 10 | Marco BEZZECCHI | CIP | 1’55.070 |
| 11 | Niccolò ANTONELLI | Red Bull KTM Ajo | 1’55.080 |
| 12 | Philipp OETTL | Südmetall Schedl GP Racing | 1’55.307 |
| 13 | Livio LOI | Leopard Racing | 1’55.321 |
| 14 | Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO | Del Conca Gresini Moto3 | 1’55.358 |
| 15 | Gabriel RODRIGO | RBA BOE Racing Team | 1’55.493 |
| 16 | Ayumu SASAKI | SIC Racing Team | 1’55.500 |
| 17 | Lorenzo DALLA PORTA | Aspar Mahindra Moto3 | 1’55.590 |
| 18 | Darryn BINDER | Platinum Bay Real Estate | 1’55.723 |
| 19 | John MCPHEE | British Talent Team | 1’55.785 |
| 20 | Marcos RAMIREZ | Platinum Bay Real Estate | 1’55.913 |
| 21 | Tony ARBOLINO | SIC58 Squadra Corse | 1’55.973 |
| 22 | Jakub KORNFEIL | Peugeot MC Saxoprint | 1’55.982 |
| 23 | Juanfran GUEVARA | RBA BOE Racing Team | 1’56.005 |
| 24 | Nakarin ATIRATPHUVAPAT | Honda Team Asia | 1’56.093 |
| 25 | Jules DANILO | Marinelli Rivacold Snipers | 1’56.214 |
| 26 | Adam NORRODIN | SIC Racing Team | 1’56.388 |
| 27 | Kaito TOBA | Honda Team Asia | 1’56.395 |
| 28 | Manuel PAGLIANI | CIP | 1’56.656 |
| 29 | Maria HERRERA | AGR Team | 1’57.068 |
| 30 | Patrik PULKKINEN | Peugeot MC Saxoprint | 1’57.116 |
| 31 | Vicente PEREZ | Reale Avintia Academy | 1’57.312 |
| 32 | Aleix VIU | 42 Motorsport | 1’58.091 |
Source: motogp.com, ajo.fi
